


Don’t Forget to Breathe

by sailorkittycat



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Comedy, F/M, Romance, kiss, sad darcy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-28
Updated: 2016-11-28
Packaged: 2018-09-02 21:49:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8684689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sailorkittycat/pseuds/sailorkittycat
Summary: Darcy has been feeling pretty down in the dumps lately and the party she’s at just isn’t helping. Does Loki hold the solution to her problem?





	

Being invited to a Tony Stark party sounded exciting onpaper but as Darcy made her way through the throngs of people, she started to wonder if she remembered what parties were actually like. It had been a hell of a long time since she had last been to one so when Jane had invited her, as a plus one she couldn’t turn down the invitation; although, really Jane was Thor’s plus one which would make Darcy a plus two or something. Still, she accepted, thinking that as soon as she got some liquor into her system she would feel marginally better. Jane was Darcy’s best friend and they got on pretty well considering they worked together as well but it was hard work and Darcy couldn’t help but feel a little out of her depth when Jane would talk about binary pulsars or gravitational waves or say words that Darcy was 110% sure Jane had just made up.

Surely Electroweak is some kind of Pokémon?

There used to be a time when Darcy was the life and soul of a party and now she was standing awkwardly in the corner watching hordes of people she didn’t know enjoying the delights Tony had to offer, like he was some kind of modern day Gatsby or something. Sure Darce, crime fighting, robotic, superhero Jay Gatsby. She tried to picture Leonardo DiCaprio dressed in the Iron Man suit and laughed silently to herself. Good one Lewis! Making lame jokes in the corner by yourself is totally the point of being at a party!

Ever since Darcy had pepper sprayed the God of Thunder, life had been hectic; chaotic; downright cray cray. She and Jane had found themselves employed by SHIELD and even though Darcy was sure as hell not complaining about getting a raise, she also felt pretty lost in the mix. As if some great big current had swept her off of her feet and she couldn’t do anything except let it push her around like some kind of bully. Didn’t that turtle in Finding Nemo say something about going with the flow? Crap, I don’t have an exit buddy. Y’know maybe I shouldn’t get life lessons from kid’s films…

Darcy (deciding she needed a break from the action) made her away from the main room, choosing to go down the right hand side corridor instead of the left. Entering one of the closed doors wasn’t an appealing option after an unfortunate incident in her senior year of high school when she caught her boyfriend at the time doing the horizontal tango with another girl.

He always was kind of an asshole though. 

At the end of the corridor were glass doors opening out to a secluded balcony. The perfect location for me to break into some Broadway style musical number about the hardships of being me; Being Darcy, starring Darcy Lewis; it’ll make you laugh, it’ll make you cry, it’ll make you happy you shelled out 99 bucks for this heart warming musical. Opening this summer!

It was starting to get chilly in New York but the cold air was a welcome change from the heat of Stark Tower. She could still hear a faint thump of music but it felt like it was far away enough to ignore, especially when she closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing like that neurotic yoga teacher in tenth grade had taught her. Darcy could almost hear that nasally, brittle voice telling her to remember to breathe, as if Darcy would forget how to. At the time she had thought it totally ridiculous for someone to remind her to breathe but as she got older and faced bigger tests of endurance and sanity it was a lesson she had come to cherish.

Don’t forget to breathe.

“Frankly, she sounds like a ghastly woman” a new voice says and it sure as hell wasn’t Belinda the yoga instructor. Darcy snapped her head up and turns to see Loki leaning against the railing looking at her with a smug smirk on his stupid lips.

“Jesus fucking Christ! How long have you been standing there, dude?” She asked, clutching at her chest to feel whether or not her heart was still beating. Is everything all good in there? Her heart rate was starting to calm down but not by much. Loki wasn’t exactly dangerous anymore; he hadn’t pulled any shit since he tried to take over the world three years ago. He hadn’t even attempted to pull any shit, except for the odd prank that he seemed partial to every now and then but they weren’t major stunts. Not world domination level or anything. Still, wasn’t he meant to be the God of mischief or something? Darcy wanted to proceed with extreme caution in all areas labelled Loki, even if he was looking mighty fine in his leather jacket.

“I’ve been here longer than you have” he commented with a shrug of his shoulders “although I must really ask, what brings you out here, Miss Lewis?”

“I just needed a break from the party is all” Darcy answered honestly, there was no reason to get defensive just yet.

“I’d imagine you wouldn’t be the one to need a break from the festivities” he remarked loftily “you must be getting old.” Okay, time to get defensive.

“Old?” Repeated Darcy “excuse me grandpa, but if anyone’s getting old here, it’s you. What are you, like a thousand and two or something?”

Loki’s smile only increased in amusement as she got angrier “ever the firecracker, Miss Lewis. Truly, you wound my fragile ego” his hand touched his chest to mock some kind of pain.

“Gee, I’m so not sorry” Darcy spat, regretting going down the right corridor instead of the left. She gripped the railing and looked out over the city instead, focusing on the acres of lights instead of the annoying God of annoyingness next to her “what are you doing out here anyway? Regretting your life choices?” She knew it was a dangerous thing to say, there was nothing stopping him from pushing her off into the abyss and leaving some poor soul to scrape her dead body from the New York streets but hey, at least I’ll be able to not stress about things anymore. It’s a grotesque fantasy but she finds some weird comfort in it.

“Well, I’m definitely not thinking about killing you, Miss Lewis” he mutters with a raised eyebrow.

“Hey! Stop with the mind reading” she exclaims, her hands grip at her scalp, as if to shield her thoughts even though she knows it’s useless.

“A natural reflex, Miss Lewis, I do apologise” he says, his smile died when Darcy was trying to imagine what it would be like to fall into the darkness. His tongue darts out instead to wet his lips instead. Darcy, however, was not expecting any kind of apology and is stunned temporarily for a minute but she regains some composure.

“Whatever” she murmurs “you didn’t answer my question.”

“I don’t want to be here” his response is more honest that Darcy had anticipated and she starts to feel a little affiliation with the Norse God even though the differences outweighed the similarities.

“Yeah, well join the club” Darcy grumbles, fiddling with a stray curl of brown hair. It’s quiet for a few seconds and Darcy doesn’t dare to sneak a peek at Loki but she can feel the weight of his stare on her. It reminds her a little of when she was thirteen and she had a crush on Danny Marlow and any time he’d look at her it would make her stomach flip in the nicest possible way. Danny Marlow is no Loki though… Danny Marlow with his short blonde hair and Members Only jacket was nothing compared to Loki with his onyx locks and leather jacket. Both he and Thor had tried to integrate to life on Earth and that included clothing options. They still liked to hint at their old fashion choices; Loki favoured leather and dark greens and golds while Thor had a long red coat similar to his cape but none the less, they were a little more regular looking. If Darcy was being really, super duper truthful, she’d admit that Loki’s leather and metal get up complete with his gold, horned helmet was kind of hot but she was still struggling to admit that to herself, let alone anyone else. Loki himself, was kinda hot despite being a Frost Giant. I guess it’s no exaggeration to call him a God ‘cause GODdamn! Am I right, ladies?

Loki snorts “you flatter me, Miss Lewis.” Darcy’s cheeks immediately colour to a shade akin to a firetruck and she slaps Loki’s arm as he laughs.

“I thought I told you to get the fuck out of my head, Loki!” she shouts, continuing her assault on his arm.

“Come now, Miss Lewis” he chuckles, holding her angry, clenched fists “it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. There are many who find me irresistible.” He purrs the last word and the deep timbres of his voice make Darcy shiver against her will.

“Do I look like a fucking horse to you?” she growls and shakes off his touch “Not everybody thinks you’re hot shit!”

“You do” Loki’s eyes are a burning hue of green and they blaze into Darcy’s own eyes “you can’t lie to the father of lies.”

“Do you get your conquests to call you that” Darcy scrunches up her nose at the thought “some guys like being called daddy but you went with father of lies, huh?”

Surprisingly, Loki chuckles instead of ripping out her tongue and Darcy reminds herself to find her chill and to find it soon. She can tell that Loki enjoys taunting her; getting to her. She can’t let that happen. She has to find a way of keeping calm.

Don’t forget to breathe.

“I didn’t come outside to argue with the God of lameness” it’s a weak jab but Darcy knows that either the subject matter needs to radically change or she needs to leave otherwise she might throw him off of the balcony.

“No” Loki agreed thoughtfully “you needed to breathe.”

“And you just don’t like it here” Darcy added.

“Parties were never my idea of fun” Loki said “such dull affairs.”

“Maybe it would help if you weren’t sulking in the shadows” Darcy was trying to be helpful but as most things that spewed from her mouth, it came out wrong “I mean, like, maybe if you tried to be social and stuff… Wait, that doesn’t sound any better.”

“The sentiment is appreciated, Miss Lewis” Loki said and Darcy hopes its gotten dark enough to cover the pink of her cheeks “but I’d point out that you are a social creature and yet you’re here with me, sulking in the shadows.”

“Okay, you got me there” Darcy agreed, subconsciously moving a fraction closer to him “there are just a lot of people I don’t know and I don’t feel like I’d gel with that kind of crowd” she shrugs. Most of the party crowd were SHIELD people and although she had a badge identifying her as part of the herd she sure as hell didn’t feel like it.

“Then you understand.”

“Yeah, I guess I do.”

It’s quiet again; a comfortable silence that encourages Darcy to peep up at Loki through her lashes. He’s not looking at her this time; instead he’s looking out over the city. His profile is all sharp lines and angles but it doesn’t deter her. She fights the desire to reach up and feel just how sharp those cheekbones are and instead focuses on the proximity between them. It had been a while since Darcy had felt attracted to a guy. Sure, she got the occasional glimpse of Captain America in that tight red, white and blue outfit (God bless America) but she didn’t feel anything for Steve except friendship. Loki, on the other hand fuelled something in her. Maybe it went without saying but this lack of attraction had also meant a lack of getting laid and Darcy had been feeling pretty frustrated. Darcy didn’t have a type per say, although every guy she had dated had been funny. It would have been absolute hell to be with a man who wasn’t but their types of humour were varied. Some were silly funny and others were snarky funny and then there were a few who were arrogant funny. She wasn’t sure if she liked one more than the other, as long as they made her laugh and kept her interested she didn’t have many other requests. Loki’s brand of humour was quick; he always knew just what to say. It was like a tennis match. She both liked and loathed the dynamic. On one hand, it kept things entertaining, she never knew what would come out of his mouth but then again, Loki was capable of being pretty fucking annoying too. Can’t have everything in a man, Lewis. Or a God. She thinks she sees Loki’s lips twitch but she’s not sure and he doesn’t make any sort of comment so she leaves it.

“No one’s come looking for you” Loki observes.

“Gee, you know how to make a girl feel special don’t you bub?” Darcy slumps a little at Loki’s commentary. It’s true. She might as well have not come, it’s not like anybody noticed her. She looked down at her tight, navy blue dress. Honestly, I make all this effort, I get the girls out even though it’s fucking freezing and no one even notices.

“I’d imagine that many young men would be looking to court you” Wowza, that was almost a compliment from cranky pants.

“Alas, no” Darcy sighed “no young men; not even old men. I guess I’ve lost my sparkle.”

“I find this very hard to believe” Darcy turns her head to look at Loki, who indeed, is looking fairly perplexed by the notion that Darcy is without any gentlemen callers.

“I tell no lies” she cocks her head to the side “but you know that.”

“True” Loki smirks “but I also know that there may be one man who is interested in you.”

“Oh?” She’s not sure if he’s just toying with her but she plays along for him “well tell him to hurry up and kiss me or something.” That totally didn’t sound thirsty. It’s hopelessly true, Darcy knows that she’s being all forlorn and sad and that Loki may be lying to her but if there’s anything she really needs right now, it’s a kiss. Something to bring her back from the dead; it’s been too long and Darcy realises that maybe what’s been getting her down lately is that fact that she’s lonely. Jane spends most of her free time around Thor now so she’s one best friend down which isn’t exactly ideal; she hasn’t been getting attention. She’s pretty low down in SHIELD so she doesn’t receive a great deal of TLC from anybody at work either. Maybe what she needs is someone to remind her that she’s still here.

“You’re very forward” Loki muses.

“Well times a-wasting, I don’t got all day y’know” she says; a thinly veiled attempt to hide her desperation.

“Very well” Loki murmurs and before Darcy hears the penny drop she finds herself kissing the very person she’s not meant to be kissing. Because a forbidden kiss is definitely not hot or anything but the way his lips glide over hers renders her incapable of expressing anything more than a soft moan. She has to hand it to him; Loki’s a damn good kisser. He captures her bottom lip in between his and nibbles which only causes Darcy’s eyes to flicker like butterfly wings. His tongue doesn’t help quieten her mewling as it teases and flicks; jeez I wonder what that would feel like a little lower down. Loki pulls away slightly, chuckling, probably at the comments she’s made but her head is too dizzy to say anything in justification. In hindsight, she’s a little surprised that he didn’t just leave her or laugh or something else entirely too cruel. Instead he stays, the fingers that grasped her chin are still there, softly stroking her warm skin while the other hand is tightly gripping her waist; his fingers pressing into the fabric and moving in a circular motion which does nothing to stop making her legs feel like jelly. Her own hands are found intertwined around his neck, fondling the black leather collar of his jacket. The leather feels soft and warm in her hands in contrast to the coolness of the skin of the back of his neck but even the Frost Giant’s usually frosty body temperature is beginning to accelerate; the ice is thawing.

“Wow” Darcy hums “that-that was, um, really” words elude her and she can feel Loki’s chest rumble next to her as he chuckles.

“Don’t forget to breathe.”


End file.
